Filtration question

[sdrober1]

I'm planning a 1,000 gallon reef system, and I was wondering about filtration. What turnover rate should there be in a tank this size? What size drain will I need to acheive this? Anything you can tell me about filtering such a large tank will help. Thanks!

 

[wmilas]

Turnover rate to a sump is mostly dependent on your skimmer selection. If you skimmer can only handle, say, 700 gph then flowing more through your sump isn't going to make the skimmer any more efficient. In fact its just going to take the sludge off the top that you are trying to skim out, mix it in your sump, then blow it back into your tank.

All other filter loops coming off your sump, say a refugium, or a GFO, carbon ect, can either be split off your main overflow, or pull directly from your sump. If they split off you main overflow you will need slightly more flow than jsut your skimmer flow. If they pull from your sump they don't need to figure into your flow rate.

So basically find your skimmer, or range of skimmer, look at their flow rates, and set your overflow to flow slightly more than that. However, you still want the largest overflow you can possibly have to have the best surface skimming possible. Even though a larger overflow will let you flow more, it doesn't mean you HAVE to.

 

[sdrober1]

If you're talking about the protein skimmer, then that is a seperate system for me. The skimmer will have a branch off the main drain, and return either to the sump or have a connector to the main return. The skimmer will be built by me and designed for a twice-daily turnover. What I need to know is, what is an acceptable turnover rate for bio/mechanical/chemical filtration in my sump?

 

[wmilas]

If you are not using the sump for a skimmer, then pretty much you just need enough turnover for dosing, heating, mechanical. I have a 660 gallonish tank and a 1k-1.1k system. I use a Reeflo Dart as my pump for turnover to my sump. Alot of people feel this is "not enough" for a system of my size bit I feel it's just the right amount of flow for me. My sump currently has a fuge/frag loop that pulls off it, and will soon have a calc loop, and a GFO/Carbon loop.